A link randomly appeared in my text message?

[Android Central Question]

I sent a plain text text message and some of the words became a gps hyperlink. When i clicked on it, it asked to load in any given maps app. It took me to some company I've never heard of, half way across the planet, whose name happened to be two of the words I wrote. I then sent the same words to the same person as a test, and it did it again.

"None of them fit well in their bags". From the O in "none" to the N in "in", it's underlined, linking to some gym chain called Fit Well in ENGLAND.

I couldn't even conceive of how to word this issue to find an answer in a regular search, so I hope someone here can help me.

My phone is a LG Q7+, if it matters.

 

[ManiacJoe]

Which phone?
Which version of android?
Which carrier?
Which SMS app?

If your SMS app allows you to turn off "make URLs clickable", that will solve the problem, but it will cause all of the URLs to be unclickable.

 

[mustang7757]

Hi, welcome to Android Forums

I'd like to recommend creating a account so me or other members can assist you, as guest have limitations in replying here and if we need further Information to communicate with you.

I'll provide a link to register, please come back to your post so we can further assist you . Thank you

https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=409154

 

[joegt123]

Hi, this is my question, just registered.

LG Q7+
8.1.0 (outdated, I'm sure)
T-Mobile
Standard messaging app. Doesn't have any other name.

This has never happened before, nothing has changed recently that would enable this to occur. It seems a totally random thing, except for the fact that the same text produced the same result when tested, two days later. I looked through the settings and couldn't find anything that particularly said "we're gonna throw our advertising garbage into your text messages, kthx". Though, even then, that doesn't really seem to be the case, as it only appears on MY phone. Not the person I sent it to, who's using a... Note 10? I think.

Not sure if I should repost the question or not.

 

[mustang7757]

Hi, this is my question, just registered.

LG Q7+
8.1.0 (outdated, I'm sure)
T-Mobile
Standard messaging app. Doesn't have any other name.

This has never happened before, nothing has changed recently that would enable this to occur. It seems a totally random thing, except for the fact that the same text produced the same result when tested, two days later. I looked through the settings and couldn't find anything that particularly said "we're gonna throw our advertising garbage into your text messages, kthx". Though, even then, that doesn't really seem to be the case, as it only appears on MY phone. Not the person I sent it to, who's using a... Note 10? I think.

Not sure if I should repost the question or not.

Hi,welcome!
No your good here.

 

[mustang7757]

Can you post a screenshot?

 

[joegt123]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...7065194496/Screenshot_2019-09-06-11-45-20.png

Cropped so I didnt have to black parts out.

I just noticed something interesting, though. I opened the link again and now it doesn't actually lead anywhere. I was checking other gps apps, as i orignally opened it with google Earth. Now, though, even google Earth doesn't pull anything up. But the link is still there in the text.

 

[mustang7757]

Ok sorry , finally found your thread again ..
I dont see the link in the text?

 

[joegt123]

The underline IS a link. I click on it and it asks to open in a gps app. The underline is the only indicator.

 

[joegt123]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...1201073161/Screenshot_2019-09-06-16-49-50.png

I managed to catch a screenshot of clicking on it, before the long click menu popped up. But like i said, long clicking doesn't actually show anything abnormal.

 

[mustang7757]

The underline IS a link. I click on it and it asks to open in a gps app. The underline is the only indicator.

Haven't seen this before , let me see if other team members have

 

[mustang7757]

@javier p @B. Diddy @Rukbat

 

[mustang7757]

The underline IS a link. I click on it and it asks to open in a gps app. The underline is the only indicator.

So you dont know where these text are coming from ? Could be telemarketers ?

 

[B. Diddy]

This is for an older LG phone, but does yours still have the Text Link feature? https://www.lg.com/us/mobile-phones/VS985/Userguide/225.html

 

[Rukbat]

No, I can't even get a single Google hit on "one of them fit well in". I'd contact the developer of the text app (LG? Google? Someone else?) and let them know, including all the information you included here - the original text, the part underlined and a link to the screenshot.

It's an interesting thing to try to debug, especially since it seems to be repeatable on demand (which is the first step to fixing a software bug). They may know that there's a bug somewhere but can't reproduce it, so this may give them the information they need. (We had one that we couldn't reproduce for 6 months, until a customer told us how to produce it every time. Then it took 5 minutes to find it and fix it [it turned out to be a typo - everyone read what he expected to read, so we all missed it].)

 

[B. Diddy]

Try Safe Mode as well, in case some 3rd party app you installed is "helpfully" scanning what you type and creating links where it thinks might be appropriate. https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-38102

 

[mustang7757]

Or 3rd party message app like Google message

 

[joegt123]

It's a text that *I* sent to a contact. Regular text, that I wrote, randomly had a clickable link in it. No 3rd party apps or messager services involved. This is the default text app on the phone.
My app doesn't have a text link feature that I can see, but i could be missing it. I haven't installed any questionable apps, certainly not recently. How do I run safemode on an android?

 

[mustang7757]

It's a text that *I* sent to a contact. Regular text, that I wrote, randomly had a clickable link in it. No 3rd party apps or messager services involved. This is the default text app on the phone.
My app doesn't have a text link feature that I can see, but i could be missing it. I haven't installed any questionable apps, certainly not recently. How do I run safemode on an android?

Try Google messages or different keyboard

 

[B. Diddy]

How do I run safemode on an android?

The link with instructions is in my previous post above.